Energinet.dk and 50Hertz say that they are planning to continue with the development of an offshore electricity mini-grid in the Baltic Sea after Swedish transmission system operator Svenska Kraftnät announced its withdrawal from the project.
The project, partially financed by the EU, will interconnect offshore wind farms planned for the Kriegers Flak region of the Baltic Sea and is the first of its kind in the world. Svenska Kraftnät has decided to withdraw from the project because it does not expect wind farms to be built in the Swedish part of Kriegers Flak in the foreseeable future.
Denmark’s Energinet.dk, Germany’s 50Hertz and Svenska Kraftnät are about to complete their feasibility study of the offshore grid project, which could serve as a template for the development of a much more wise-ranging offshore grid off northern Europe.
The European Commission is keen to see the development of a North Sea grid that combines the offshore grid connection of wind power plants with cross border transmission capacity as it would boost the use of renewable energy in the region. Kriegers Flak is being supported with EUR150 million of funds from the EU Recovery Plan.
Energinet.dk and 50Hertz say that they will publish their feasibility study on Kriegers Flak in February, and will soon make a decision on how to pursue the project. The chosen technical solution will allow for the future participation of Svenska Kraftnät, they said in a statement.
